Custom LASIK is as light passes through the eye, its rays are distorted by the imperfections in the cornea and crystalline lens, creating “aberrations”.  Approximately 90% of these aberrations create common conditions – farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism. 

These conditions can easily treated with optical devices such as contact lenses, glasses or Laser Eye Surgery (LASIK, PRK or LASEK).  The final 10% of optical aberrations create images altered by chromatic aberration, spherical aberration, diffraction, curvature of field, coma, trefoils and quadrafoils.  These are known as “higher order aberrations”.

Higher order aberrations are completely unique to each patient, only occuring in a visually significant manner in 10% to 15% of the general population.  These patients may benefit most from the use of a wavefront-guided laser eye surgery., which creates an entirely customized reshaping of the corneal surface.

A wavefront analysis system, called an Aberrometer, is used to measure the higher order aberrations in order to customize the shaping of the cornea.  This measurement is then interfaced with a laser, controlled by a computer, to direct a minute beam of laser energy across the surface of the cornea.